The disclosures herein relate generally to space frame structures, and in particular to cladding for domed space frame structures.
In space frame construction, a generally cylindrical hub includes a plurality of outwardly directed slots extending along the peripheral surface of the hub. The slots have opposed ribbed surfaces. Tubular frame members are flattened and crimped at their opposed ends. The crimped ends include elongated flat surfaces extending outwardly, or away from each other. The crimped ends are ribbed in a pattern which can be mated into engagement with the ribs in the hub slots. In this manner, each end of a tubular frame member may be slidably inserted into a respective hub slot and several tubular members may be connected at one end to a hub slot to form a spider, i.e., a hub having a plurality of tubes extending outwardly therefrom, each tube terminating at a free end.
The free end of each tube can be similarly connected to another hub. Thus, a framework of interconnected spiders formed of tubes and hubs can be joined to form a pre-assembled or modular section of a flat roof, a domed roof, a wall, etc., to be joined with other sections to eventually form a complete structure. The structure, once completed is then covered with a selected cladding which is attached to the structural framework by means of an interfacing cladding support system.
The cladding may be fabric, corrugated steel plates, glass, and other selected materials, and may include combinations of these materials for architectural design purposes. For example, a domed roof may be clad with steel and may include a pattern of glass panels in a portion of the roof which has an aesthetic effect when viewed from the interior of the structure.
However, in constructing domed space-frame structures having a plurality of roofing areas that include doubly curved surfaces, of positive and/or negative gaussian curvature, it is difficult to cover such surfaces with conventional rectangular cladding panels without gaps of variable width occurring between the cladding panels.
Therefore, what is needed is a cladding system for domed structures directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations of the existing structures.